Transmission device



Oct. 12,1926. 1,602,514

C. W. WEISS TRANSMISSION DEVICE' l Filed Nov.' 25, -1924 2 Sheets-sheet 1 Quim Eff.

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Oct. 12 ,1926. `"1,602,514"

c. w. WEISS TRANSMISSION DEVICE Filed Nov. 25, 1924 2 sheets-sheet 2 MMIII" /ZZ @l NVENTR @y MAL/4M 96A/ oe Patented Oct. 12, 1926.

UNITE-D .STATES cam. w.'wn1ss, or rnooxxmv, maw venir.

TRANSMISSION nnvrc'n.

Application' ymea november 25, 1924.; serial no. 752,076.

Letters Patent of 'the United States,I

No. 1,541,882, dated June 16, 1925, there is shown and described and covered broadly a ltransmission device of novel constructlon',`

together with a torque governor by which variation of the speed ratio is effected automatically .through variation ofthe torque l or resistance of thedriven element. In the present application there is shown and devSClibed a Atransmission device of the same a gianeral character as that shown in thenior- `mer application, with improved means for manual control and with an improved embodiment of the torque governor. Thevin- `vention will be more fully explained here-l inafter with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which itis illustrated and in whichl Figure 1 is a mission device ,in side elevation, some parts being brokenv off 'to save space.v .Y

Figure 2 is a view of the same 1n longitudinal sectional elevation. a

Figure 3' .is a top view of the same with some parts in horizontal section and the housing partly broken away.

Figure 4 is a detail view in section on the plane indicated by the broken line 4-4 of n the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings the driving part or shaft a is shown as mounted for rotation in a suitable bearing carried by a. plate b whichv forms one member of -a three-part housing b, b', b. The shaft a is' shown as having secured thereto a fly wheel o which is recessed and has firmly secured' thereto the inhemispherical. .The mutor dwhich, .as described in the application above mentioned,

cooperates with the driving member '0,con'1-v prises a rotatable carrier d', d2 which 181 armed with gripping members e for driving engagement with the drivin member c, is supported so that its angular position with respect to the'driving member can be varied and, in the resent instance, so that it can be moved bo ly toward and from the driving member and 1s provided with a gear f through whic its rotation upon itsown axis is transmitted to the axle or other part to be driven at a variable speed. The sp1ndle of the gear f is mounted for rotation in t ebearing is clamped tightly tothe other member d view oilthe'improved transber c.

member d of the carrier and" of the carrier. Since'means are rovided 'for moving-the` carrier toward or rom the driving member 0, to control the driving engagement of the grippin members e with 'the driving member c, a' all bearin Ordinar construction ma be provi ed be# v tween t e members d an d2 and the` gripping members e may themselves be mounted in bearings fixed to -the carrier member d2.' In order that the'relative angular axial position of the.v mutor with res ect ,to the coacting member may be. `varie different ratios the mutor is supported by a main rame'g so that'its angu ar position with respect to the coacting member c can be varied about an axis which passesy through the center of the spherical bearing surface, 'the frame g having trunnions g one of which is shown in Figure 3, mounted inthe housing b', b2. -The trunnions are received in sleeves g2 which are seated in slots bg of the housing, so as to' permit movement of the frame and the carrier-toward andlfrom the driving member o.' Springsl'b are.

arranged to bear against the sleeves g2 so as to hold the mutor normally out of driving contact with the spherical driving member.

c. Also mounted in the housing bf, b2 are short shafts h which carry within the hous-4 ing cam arms 7a arran edto bear against the sleeves g2 to move 4t e mutor in opposition to the springs b. The two short shafts h are connected by an external oke h2 so that they shall move together'an to one of the short shafts 7L is secured a ,lever arm ha,

'such as thev ordinary clutch pedal, by which Ithe'operator may move the mutor out of driving engagement with the driving mem- A spring h* mayfbe'applied tothe to secure yoke la?, as shown in Flgure 1, tohold the cam arms h normally in contact with the sleeves g and the latter tightly against the springs brand so press the mutortightly into engagement with the spherical surface."

On one of the trunnions g is loosely mounted an operating lever g, by which the angular axial position of the mutor may be varied manually or at the will of theo erator. Since the an lar axial position o the mutor is also to e varied through variations in torque'it 1s necessary that provision be made whereby the angular axial position ef the mutor can be `varied through variations in the -torque r ardless ofthe manual controlling means. ccordingly the operating lever g isloo'sely mounted on the trunnon g, as above stated, and is connectedto the trunnion through the intermediary of a spring g4 which is coiled around the trunnion and has one end seated in the trunnion, as indicated by broken lines at g5 in Figuresl and 3, and has the other end bent over the lever g3 as indicated at g in Figures 1 and 3. An arm g7 is fixed on the trunnion g', which is squared to receive it, the arm having its extremity bent under the operating lever g3. Thereby the mutor can be shifted in angular position with respect to the driving element by the lever g3 and can also be shifted through .variation in torque, as will be explained, independently of the tition of the lever g8. The latteiw is provi ed with a detent g for engagement with a fixed tooth sector g1", so that-the lever gs can be locked in any desired position, the detent g9 being operated in the usual mannerv not necessary to be described.

The member d of the mutor carrier has hingedly connected thereto at da a sleeve bearing 7c which supports a gear i for c0' action with the gear f of the mutor and one part or memberl i of a longitudinally extensible two-part shaft i', The shaft member z" is formed with a reversible helix 2 for cooperation with the female member 2'? ofthe torque-responsive connection thus constituted, the female Imember i3 being formed as a part of the other shaft member' c" which is connected through a universal joint, indicated generally at 5, with the shaft z' throughwhich, in the present instance, power 1s transmitted to the part or parts to be driven, such as the driving wheels of an automobile, and is itself subject to the torque reaction of the driven-part. The axis of the hinge joint d8 is tangent to the pitchline of the gears f and lz', the gears remaining in mesh throughout the angular displacement of the mutor. The sleeve bearing k has itself a thrust bearing 7 against a collar a on the shaft member z", so that as the twopart shaft is extended axially through relative rotation of the two parts by reason of thehelix connecting 2, 8, when resistance is offered to the rotation of the shaft member c", the mutor will have its angular position shifted toward the zero position which is represented in Figure 2.

Let it be assumed, in explanation of the operation of the improved transmission device, that all of the parts are in the positions 4represented in Figures land 2. When the drive shaft a has been set in motion, with the internally spherical driving member c,

'the mutor is caused by pressure applied to the lever h3 to be moved, against the pressure of. the spring b, into driving contact with the driving lelement c. Through the lever g3 the mutor. is then shiftedfromits ,zero position, being moved upfrom the. posimoved down for reverse. Assuming that the lever be moved up for going ahead the 1nertia of the car is gradually overcome and the desired s eed of forward movement is.

established. f then the resistance to the forward movement is increased, as when an automobile enters upon an `up-grade, the torque rea ction, acting through the torque vconnection 2 of the hinge Joint d, will ,further increased by further movement of the leverg3 or through operation of the ac.- celerator or other motor control.

It will be understood that lvarious changes in details of construction and arrangement can made to Vsuit different conditions of use and that the invention, except as pointed out in the claims, is not limited to the preoise construction shown and described here- 1n.

I claim as my invention:

1. A power. transmission device comprising a driving element, a driven element, one of said elements being capable of being changed in position with respect to the other element to vary the speed ratio of the two elements, a gear carried by the element capable of being changed in position, a carrier for the element capable of being changed in position, a two-part longitudinally extensible shaft, a gear at one end of said shaft for cooperation with the first named gear, a universal bearing for the other end of said shaft, a sleeve having a thrust bearing on said shaft and a hinged connection with said carrier, and means whereby a relative rotation of the two parts of the shaft effects a relative longitudinal displacement thereof.

2. A power transmission' device comprising a driving element, a driven element, one of said elements being capable of being changed in position with respect to the other element to vary the speed ratio of the two elements, a gear carried by the element capable of being changed in position, a carrier for the element capable of bein changed in position, a two-part longitudina vly extensible shaft, a gear at one end of said ing onsaid shaft and a hinged connection 'with said carrier', and a reversible helix con- -nection between thetwo' parts of said shaft.

3; Apowe'r transnii'ssion"device comprisof said shaft, a sleeve having a thrust bearing a rotating body having a spherical bearing surface, and a coasting member comprising a carrier'which forms one of the transmission elements and is rotatable about anaxis transverse to the axis of the bearing surface through the center of the bearing surface, ipping elements supported by the carrier a out the axis to rotate with the carrier and themselves rotatable about axes transverse to the axis of the carrier, and means for moving the carrier bodily to- ;vard and from the spherical bearing surace.

4. A power transmission device comprising a support, a rotating body having a sp erical bearing surface, a frame mounted in the support on an axis transverse to the axis of the rotating body and capable of being rocked on said axis and of being shifted toward and from the spherical bearing surf face, the support having bearings for the frame to permit such movement, springs acting on the ends of the frame to press the frame away from the bearing surface, means under the control of the operator to press the frame toward the bearing surface against the springs, a rotating carrier supported by said frame, and gripping elements mounted on the carrier for coaction with the spherical bearing surface. 4

5. A power transmission device comprising a support, a rotating body having a..

spherical bearing surface supported thereby, a frame having trunnions mounted 1n said support on an axis transverse to the ,axis of the rotating bodyand capable of being rocked on sai axis, a vrotating carrier supported by said frame, gripping elements mounted on said carrier for co-operation with the spherical bearing surface, an operating lever mounted loosely on one of said trunnions, a spring connection between said trunnion and said lever, an arm' ixed on said trunnion, and arranged for cooperation with said lever, and independent means to rock said frame on its axis.

6. A power transmission device comprising a support, a rotating body having a spherical bearing surface supported thereby, a frame having trunnions mounted in said support on an axis transverse to the axis of the rotating body and capable of being rocked on said axis, a rotating carrier supported by said frame, gripping elements mounted on said carrier for co-operation with the spherical bearing surface, an operating lever mounted loosely on one of said trunnions, a spring connection between said trunnion and said lever, an arm fixed on said trunnion and arranged for co-operation with said lever, transmission devices in operative relation with said carrier including a torque-responsive device, and operative connections between said torque-responsive device and said frame to rock the sameon its axis.

This specification signed this 24th day of November 1924.

CARL w. weiss. 

